Nick Mashiter's Olympics diary - July 30

The Olympics opening ceremony has been heralded a huge success by all who saw it – even those who should have been tucked up in bed.

It might have proved a distraction for Wolverhampton gymnast Kristian Thomas – who was trying to sleep ahead of Saturday's team event – but the Lilleshall-based gymnast said he was still captivated by the show.

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He said: "I watched as much as I could but had to switch it off because I was getting too hyped up. I went to bed, fell asleep and then the fireworks woke me up. I didn't have the best night's sleep."

For others who were allowed to go, including Dudley basketball player Dominique Allen, the experience was mesmerising.

The 22-year-old was radiant when I met her after Team GB's 74-58 defeat to Australia on Saturday.

"The ceremony was an amazing experience. The walk there was exciting, it was long but just being with the whole GB team was great. Seeing the crowds was brilliant and the roar going in was unbelievable."

As director Danny Boyle said, the show was the warm- up for the main event. The athletes are the stars and if they're happy, who really cares?

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First it was the athletes and now the media. No-one can escape the rogue bus drivers roaming London with dodgy Satnavs.

The drivers have been farmed in from across the country to lug journalists from the Olympic Park to central London, Lord's and the North Greenwich Arena 24/7.

I hopped on a bus to the opening ceremony from Lord's on Friday. Almost at the Olympic Park we suddenly found ourselves heading back to central London as the bungling bus driver wrongly followed his Satnav.

Initially refusing to believe he was mistaken he persevered until repeated protests convinced him otherwise.

But he'd become so lost he needed a police officer to stop the traffic as he performed an impromptu three-point turn – to the cheers of journalists and horns of motorists.

Although, the best example of driver error came from a colleague revealing his bus took him and a coach full of luckless hacks to the Westfield Shopping Centre in Shepherds Bush – 12 miles away from Stratford's own Westfield chain.

We can't complain too much, most of the time the buses get you there. But if LOCOG were worried about lost athletes tweeting about their London experience, imagine what a bus full of reporters will do.

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I was desperately disappointed for Alison Williamson yesterday after Team GB's women archers were knocked out of the team event by Russia.

The six-time Olympian from Church Stretton had targeted a team medal after missing out on bronze in Beijing four years ago.

Williamson was philosophical, knowing she still has a chance in the individual rounds, but it all looked too much for Kidderminster's Naomi Folkard.

She shot a four in the final end to hand the advantage to Russia and within minutes was talking about their exit to the press.

And as she struggled to hold back the tears during her brief post-match interview it was a reminder to us how much it all means.